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maple-writes · 3 years

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[Image ID: Banner image reading: The City of Eventide, Chapter 34, Maple-writes. End ID]

This is it! The last chapter! It still feels so strange to think that this really is the last one.

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Each day grew longer than the last and the sun shone a little stronger, burning off morning spring clouds. Dylan made good on his promise to visit unannounced one afternoon. He showed up with a firm knock on the door and a greeting loud enough to wake me the rest of the way up. For hours he lingered in the kitchen, half occupied with putting the finishing touches on the egg salad sandwiches Fallon sent him along with but more occupied with filling me in on everything and anything. Tea in hand I barely spoke as the sun made its way down the sky, casting long shadows across the street outside and dimming the light through the windows all while Dylan replaced the usual quiet of the day. It was nice though, hearing someone else’s voice even if I did end up forgetting details and names in his stories.

The vitamins weren’t so bad aside from remembering to take them, and once I got used to the taste neither were the other supplements the doctor suggested. Even now Ginger stopped by sometimes to check on me and deliver updates on the goings-on back at the college, letting me know I could come see her there anytime. She’d smiled, assuring me that if I ever wanted to return to work with her we’d take it as easy as I needed.

Ember’s attempts to get me out of the house came fewer and farther between, dropping down from every night to maybe once or twice a week. Every time my heart skipped but two nights ago we made it to the 24 hour gas station store. Under the too-bright lights the night vanished outside and I had to remember to take every breath deep enough to keep my head from spinning and there were too many choices and items lining every shelf and fridge and nowhere to hide but Ember kept by my side. She walked me through and let me rest my hand on her forearm, letting some of the warmth and calm seep from her skin through mine.

We bought drinks and the lights and hum of refrigerators disappeared as the door closed behind us. Stepping between shadows cast by vacant gas pumps we didn’t make it much farther than the store that night, but for the first time some of the tension melted under quiet streetlights. Chill air cooled my lungs and settled my head. The two of us talked all the way back home and together in the living room until far too late. She really shouldn’t have been staying up that late with her job interview tomorrow, though she was quick to reminded me it was only in the afternoon.

Her interview went well, and by the end of the week she’d been called back for a second and a week after that they offered her the job as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. From what she told us it sounded hard, and she’d be gone for long stretches during the season, but her excitement was contagious. Striker ordered take out to celebrate and we ended up only going to bed long after the sun had set.

Yawning, I pulled my shirt off, crawled into bed and drew the blanket snug around my shoulders. After all the excitement and celebration I sunk all the way down into the pillows and sheets.

A rattle came from my window, then another and I sat up, squinting in the dark. Grey-blue in the evening dark, a wing flashed into view then a beak tapping at the glass as a seagull fluttered by. Cirrus. It had to be. Otherwise some poor bird was very, very lost.

I hopped out of bed and opened up the window just as he glided back around. He landed on the windowsill in a blur of feathers, tucking his wings neatly to the side and shaking out his tail as he came to a stop. His head tilted left and right, pupils dilating a moment before finding the right focus.

“Hey Cirrus.” I leaned over, resting my elbows against the windowsill. “It is you, right?”

The gull ruffled his feathers, puffing up and laying them flat again in one smooth wave. He raised his beak and stuck out his chest as he watched me sideways. I smiled, warmth spreading from deep in my chest. Of course this was Cirrus. Hard to believe the last time I’d seen him was back at the cabin. How long ago was that now? I’d lost track.

Cirrus turned, webbed feet tapping against the wood of the windowsill in the quiet of the dark. He faced the street, dark and empty, glancing back at me over his grey shoulder. I frowned. Did he want…

“You want me to go with you?”

He gave a quick nod, holding his head sideways to lock me in one of his little eyes. I swallowed and wrung my hands together. How far would he want me to go? What if something happened? I hunched my shoulder, hair falling in front of my face as I stared down at my arms.

“I, I don’t know Cirrus.” How was I supposed to tell him? How was I supposed to tell him I hadn’t gone much further than a few blocks from home on my own since I got back. “I don’t know.”

A weight landed on my shoulder, webbed feet against my skin. Cirrus pushed his beak through my hair to poke at my cheek. He settled down, feathers of his belly soft against my skin. I sighed and turned my neck to see him through the corners of my eyes.

Even if we hadn’t gone far nothing horrible happened whenever I went out with Ember. I held Cirrus’ stare for a moment, watching him blink and turn his head. If something did go wrong Cirrus would have seen it before, right? He didn’t know what Ginger did but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d helped. I could handle this. If I could handle the cemetery in the middle of the day I could handle a walk in the middle of the night.

I sighed again, straightening up slowly to give Cirrus the chance to hop down. “Alright. Let me get dressed first.”

Cirrus waited outside, perched on a nearby streetlight and watching as I finally stepped out into the night. I shut and locked the door as softly as I could behind me, trying to keep the nerves already wrapping around my throat in check. A flurry of feathers made me look up a second before Cirrus landed softly on my shoulder. Webbed feet tapped quiet on my jacket and grey wing-tips tickled my ear as he turned. He stuck his head out a second, caught my eye and flew down the street.

“Hey!”

I took off running after him. My feet fell loud and echoing in the quiet side streets and alleyways, chasing flashes of white feathers under spaced-out streetlights until I staggered to a breathless stop. Hands on my knees and hunched over on the sidewalk, my heart struggled to keep up with my lungs and my legs burned. Shit. How long had it been since I moved this much? Cold air scraped at the back of my throat. I coughed and tried to catch my breath. By the time I looked up Cirrus was gone.

I grit my teeth. “Damn it.”

A seagull’s call pierced through the quiet, shrill and laugh-like. Sounded like he wasn’t too far, towards the waterfront. Of course he’d want me to meet him there. I pulled myself back upright. He’d have to wait though because I wasn’t about to run the whole way there.

I’d almost caught my breath by the time the gentle lapping of the waves caught my ear, soft and rhythmic against the deserted shore. A full moon hung bright over the ocean casting liquid silver over the dark water and the white crests of incoming waves. I slowed as I stepped out onto the beach. Full moon. Cirrus, he hadn’t waited for me here after I’d gone home, had he? Waited and hoped I’d show up for him only to leave disappointed like he had so many times hoping his mother would come around.

He’d understand why I hadn’t come, if he’d waited here for me at all. I bunched my shoulders against the wind and shook the thought from my head, picking my way across the dark beach to the usual place. Tiny creatures, insects, arthropods, they scurried away from my path with every step. Moment by moment the lights of the city faded to a faint glow at my back to give way to blue-dark night.

A figure sat on a washed-up log, turning when I rounded the bend. A woman in an ink-black evening gown that billowed around her ankles when she stood and faced me with a polite smile.

“Well, you’ve sure perked up since I last saw you.” She paused, waiting, but I only squinted in attempts to place where we might have met. “Ah, you don’t recognize me.” She gestured to herself with a black-gloved hand. “Cirrus’ sister. Call me Hadley.”

We had met, hadn’t we. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to remember back but couldn’t see much more than a blur, a haze of feathers and loud voices that seemed to rumble through the air and into my own lungs.

Hadley though either hadn’t noticed or didn’t mind, catching me with a nod as she settled back down on the log. “Cirrus should be here soon.” She shot me a smirk, raising her head high. “I have been instructing him on how to shift his form but it can be hit or miss. He wanted to see you though, so I agreed to help him out tonight.”

She leaned back resting her hands behind her and facing the shimmering sea. Her head tilted just a moment as I sat beside her. This close she had the same barely contained power Cirrus did, cold and powerful like a harsh wind biting through my clothes. She kept quiet, watching as wave after wave lapped at the rocky shore. Slowly, I ran my hand over the worn bark of the log, tracing over ridges and bits where the wood had torn and weathered away.

“Ah,” Hadley stood, smoothing down her dress in the breeze. “Sounds like he’s done.”

The bushes growing beside the beach rustled, and a moment later Cirrus stuck his head out, one hand covering half his face and casting a sheepish look at Hadley.

She half chuckled to herself with a short glance back at me. “One moment.”

Without waiting for any kind of response, she stepped out of sight behind the foliage and the night dark. She said something, mumbling and chiding but too low for me to make out, Cirrus responding with something indignant and defensive but without any teeth behind his words. I smiled, leaning forward on the log to try and peek around the bushes and shadows. That was Cirrus alright.

The leaves rustled again, branches snapped, and Cirrus swore as he stumbled out onto the beach. He found his balance and shook himself out, looking just like I remembered. Same hair, same eyes… I jumped up from the log and throwing my arms around him. He balked a moment, surprised, before returning the embrace. His clothes were warm and smelled like storm-bearing winds, familiar and new at the same time. I leaned against him, pressing my forehead against his shoulder a moment before standing up again, throat tight.

“Miss me?” Cirrus grinned, already knowing the answer.

I nodded. “Its different, with you gone.” Maybe not quieter now that Ember was around, but different. I swallowed and turned away, a hand to the back of my neck as I glanced out to the ocean. “I don’t know if you were waiting for me here, but I’m sorry if you were.” My voice dragged along. “Things haven’t been easy.”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been around here either. It’s been a whirlwind.” Cirrus huffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head to the dark pebbles.

“Oh come on Cirrus!” Hadley scolded, coming up around behind him and messing up his hair. She snickered as he tried and failed to duck out of the way. “You had a great time. Do you think I missed you flirting with that pretty noble lady?”

Cirrus flustered, uncrossing his arms and stumbling over his tongue. “She started it!” He shook himself out with another huff, crossing his arms tighter than before. “But yeah, alright. It wasn’t all bad.” He watched his sister as she retuned to her perch on the log, a half smile on his face, before turning back to me. “You’re looking better than last time I saw you. At least like you’re not about to get blown over by the wind.” Cirrus paused a moment, just standing, watching me as the breeze slipped silent between us. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so much colour in your face.

Even at in the dark? I looked away a moment, watching the moon hang bright over the gentle swells. Maybe he had better night vision than I did because Striker had said the same thing.

“I uh,” I faced him again, tucking my hands in my pockets and out of the chill. “I’ve been seeing some doctors since I got back for a while now. I guess it’s working.” The wind picked up again and I hunched my shoulders until Cirrus stepped to my side, blocking out some of the gale. “Ginger was saying the other day she’d be alright with me coming back to the college.”

“You going to do it?”

I shrugged, pushing rounded stones from side to side with the toe of my shoe. “I… I hope so. It’s been a while.” A smile played at my lips. “I kind of miss it actually.

Cirrus snorted. “Bored at home already?”

This time I grinned, full and toothy. “Maybe.”

He rolled his eyes but kept quiet, attention drifting up from me to the lights of the city down the beach. I glanced back over my shoulder to follow his gaze only a moment before focusing back on Cirrus. In the dark he looked just like I remembered, like nothing changed. Like he hadn’t been gone for months now and he’d never returned to life as a dragon. Like Ember hadn’t moved into his bedroom and he was going to be in the kitchen tomorrow morning when I got out of bed.

A deep ache spread sharp through my throat, all the way up to the floor of my mouth and I looked away. He had his own life now. His own life somewhere far away. Somewhere I couldn’t go and find him like I used to. He’d come to see me this time tonight but how long would that last? I swallowed. He wouldn’t forget about me now that what he’d hoped to happen for years and years finally came about, right?

“Do you remember back then when I couldn’t speak my name?” Cirrus spoke low, eyes still drifting over my head to the city. “That day you found me?”

I don’t think I would ever forget, he must have known that but I nodded all the same.

He paused, hesitating before speaking again. “It hurt for a long time. I used to dream of hearing it again, to be who I was again. But then…” Cirrus finally tore his gaze from Eventide. He looked down at me, the faintest of the distant light reflecting in his eyes. “It didn’t feel the same anymore. I’m keeping Cirrus. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Really?” My voice came out smaller than I expected, thinned and brittle. “You don’t miss the other?”

Cirrus shrugged. “I can’t say I don’t, but I don’t know, I couldn’t bring myself to part with this name yet.” He half smiled. “My mother wasn’t exactly thrilled but she’ll get over it.”

From what I’d heard of her, I wasn’t surprised. “You’re still going to come and visit, right?”

“Of course.” Cirrus casted a sidelong glance at his sister still seated on the log and gazing out to sea. “Though it might be a while yet before I get the hang of shape shifting alone.” He paused a moment before turning back to me. “I’ll be around. I’ve got at least a couple more centuries of watching over Eventide’s storms after all.”

That long? I guess it made sense. He was a dragon after all. I smiled but broke halfway by a surprise yawn. What time was it?

A warm hand rested on my shoulder as Cirrus’ laugh drifted over the crashing waves. “Keeping you up?” He grinned down at me as he turned towards the city. “I’ll take you home.”

We walked along the beach towards the soft city lights. At this time of night we had the sidewalks to ourselves, only the occasional car passing by the empty roads. My arm brushed his, contented warmth easing from him to me. I quickly ran out of things to update him on since coming back to Eventide and he took over most of the way home telling me all about his sisters and the trouble they’d get into. Even in the low light I could see how he flushed talking about the woman Hadley had brought up on the beach. I smiled, struggling to keep my eyes open and half leaning against his shoulder as we walked.

He sounded happy.

Sun sinking low in the sky relief pooled in my chest seeing how quiet Eventide College was this time of day. A handful of people milled and wandered around the front stairs, some chatting and laughing in the gold-tinged light. Inside the front lobby soft echoes of conversation drifted through the still air and the little coffee shop sat nearly empty with the last few customers before closing time rolled around.

My footsteps echoed through the empty halls, clicking against the stone stairs spiralling down towards Ginger’s basement. I hadn’t told her I was coming but surely she wouldn’t be unhappy to see me all the way out here.

The air chilled and a familiar presence brushed against my arm. I slowed, letting Cynthia gently press up against my shoulder as her relief and excitement slipped through my skin. A smile spread on my face and I held out a hand. She knew me. She knew how to be gentle, how to contain herself unlike the panicked, desperate spirits who needed my help.

She slid though my palm, passing cold up the veins of my arm all the way up where they joined together in the subclavian. Good to see you again. It’s been a while.

I nodded along, continuing down the stairs as she settled in deeper tucked under my first rib. Been a while was an understatement. I swallowed. Had anyone told her what happened? It must have seemed like I’d just vanished one day, Ginger too. Charlotte filled me in. We were all worried about you for a while there. Glad to see you back on your feet. Thanks.

The stairs opened up to the little underground hallway, my footsteps booming in the quiet. I tucked my hands in my pockets and shifted as Cynthia nestled herself more comfortably towards my chest. Here to see Ginger? I nodded. If she’s here. She is. Saw her come in a few hours ago. Good. Good. Does this mean you’re going to stick around? I turned the last corner, slowing to a shuffle. Had I even considered not coming back here? Even if Ginger had told me I’d never be able to come back here would I really be able to just… Stop?

Even if you change you mind, her grin crossed my face, you should still stop by. You’re the easiest living person to chat with to come through those doors.Really? Faster than hijacking Charlotte’s computer. Fair enough.

I paused in front of Ginger’s office, the door slightly ajar. Cynthia stilled under my skin, cold and fluid. Could you give us a minute? Right. Was good to see you again Asher. She shifted a moment before breathing out through the thin skin at the top of my chest and vanishing somewhere through the walls of the college. Alone I stood another moment in front of the door. I took a deep breath, rested my hand on the door handle and opened it up just enough to poke my head into Ginger’s office.

She looked up from her computer as soon as she saw me. For a moment surprise seemed to flash across her face but in a heartbeat it shifted to a wide, fang-filled smile.

“Asher! Welcome back.”

#the city of eventide #chapter 34 #last chapter #my writing #it's just #wow #i've been working on this since like #late 2018 i think #i'll have to write up a real post to get my thoughts out sometime

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localizee · 2 years

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aggielandsupplementsus · 10 months

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topicprinter · 5 years

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Nick Bare of Bare Performance Nutrition, a brand that makes sports nutrition supplementsSome stats:Product: sports nutrition supplementsRevenue/mo: $500,000Started: January 2012Location: Austin, TXFounders: 1Employees: 5Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?My name is Nick Bare and I own Bare Performance Nutrition. We are a sports nutrition and health supplement company based out of central Texas, just about 20 minutes north of Austin.Other than being an entrepreneur, I also create social media content for hundreds of thousands of people, spent 4 years in the US Army as an active duty Infantry Officer and am a soon to be published author of my book titled, 25 Hours A Day. I started my company in 2012 making around $15,000 in the first year of business and today we are on track to do $6 Million in revenue for the year.I built the brand while working as an active duty Soldier, sleeping very little and working very much. Bare Performance Nutrition has always specialized in sports performance (pre-workout, pump enhancers, whey protein, BCAAs) but is now adding to the line of health supplements (greens superfoods, red superfoods, multi-vitamin, joint support) due to the increased demand and popularity from the current customers. The flight is our flagship product (pre-workout) which launched the brand in 2012 and has been one of our fastest moving products to date.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvDLNE0ysjMWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?In 2012 I was a junior in college studying Nutrition at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I was also in the ROTC program there so I knew that upon graduating college I would be commissioning into the US Army as an officer.My friends and I were your typical broke college students and we loved weight training. Because we couldn’t continue to buy our own pre-workout supplements due to personal funds, or lack thereof, we decided to all go in together and purchase bulk ingredients to make our own pre-workout supplements.We purchased caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, tyrosine, etc. We would mix them up in my dorm room, throw them back and hit the gym every day. We didn’t know how to flavor them properly and didn’t have the correct scales to measure anything less than a gram so who knows how much caffeine we were consuming! My friends loved it and I would even have kids from other dorms stopping by to try my “homemade” pre-workout. As this became a huge interest to me I decided to pursue it further but knew that if I wanted to create a business I would have to work with an FDA regulated manufacturing facility.After returning from a 30-day training exercise at Fort Lewis, WA I decided to go all-in and work to launch Bare Performance Nutrition. Sports performance and especially dietary supplements had always been a massive passion and interest to me. At the time, the military associated bank, USAA, was offering a loan of up to $25,000 for ROTC cadets about to graduate. Many of these college students and friends of mine took out this loan to buy new cars, take vacations, get engaged and married, but I decided that this would be my funding to launch my company.I worked with a US-based manufacturer to formulate, produce and test my first two products, which were Flight (pre-workout) and Intra-Flight (BCAAs). Other than my burning desire and passion for sports performance, I had absolutely zero experience building, operating or scaling a brand. To this day I will always remember telling my dad about the plan to launch Bare Performance Nutrition and how successful it was going to be in the first year of business. I vividly remember him saying, “if it were that easy then everyone would do it” - and he was right.imageTake us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.I found my first contact manufacturer online through some deep google researching. Over the years we have worked with a few different manufacturers until we found the perfect ones. Today, we work with two contract manufacturers (one is in Texas and the other is in California).In the beginning, when we were just getting started and moving very little volume, there was never a relationship established between myself and the manufacturers. We were a small fish in a large pond. Today we talk with our manufacturers on a daily basis, and usually multiple times a day.I personally formulated our first two products that entered the market. I worked with the contract manufacturer lab team and R&D department to bring it to life, but the majority of the input came from my research. Even though I was studying Nutrition in college, we never covered sports performance and especially dietary supplement research, so I would spend hours in the evening researching ingredients and their effectiveness. I initially put together a formula, sent it over to the manufacturer to price and received the quote - over $30 per bottle! At the price point, I would have to sell this pre-workout for it would be shunned in the market! Over the next couple of weeks, I went back and forth with the manufacturer to create the best product possible at the most reasonable price too. We removed some ingredients and added others, changing the dosage of some and ended up getting our price point to exactly where it needed to be. It ended up taking about 12 weeks to approve a formula, finalize the flavoring profile and put everything into production (which was another 12 weeks).After locking in the product with the manufacturer it was time to set up my logistics/ warehousing space - AKA my bedroom. At the time I was living in a small college apartment, on Philadelphia Street at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with 5 other guys. My room itself was about 100 square feet at the most. I set up a packing station, filled the room with boxes and packing supplies, and prepared for the big launch. Because I didn’t have enough room for all the inventory in my apartment I had to store some of it at my parent's house, which was 3 hours away! Prepared? Probably not, but I was like a kid on Christmas morning ready to go!That first launch, while was extremely exciting, didn’t play out as I quite imagined. The loan that I took out just about only covered the cost of the inventory, so I had no money left over for label design, graphic work, marketing agencies or business advisors. I became the swiss army pocket knife for Bare Performance Nutrition.I had a friend design our labels in exchange for some free pre-workout (once it launched), another buddy designed our website and I dieted down for a photo shoot to create some marketing material for the product launch. Even the photographer was a friend who helped for free.The Evolution Of Our Labels:imageOur first products and labelsimageOur second round of labelsimageThe third round of labelsimageOur current labels (after our rebrand)imageSome of our first marketing material pieces and the result of the photoshoot I dieted down for in 2012.Describe the process of launching the business.I thought my launch strategy was going to kill it. I linked up with some fairly successful fitness YouTubers and negotiated some free products for a shout out/review on their social media platforms.In 2012, the fitness industry wasn’t nearly as saturated as it is now and large fitness YouTube channels weren’t one in a dozen. I sent the YouTubers their product a few weeks before launch, gave them enough time to test it out and then waited for their reviews. About half of the YouTubers talked about the product and the other half I never heard from, but it wasn’t necessarily the hype I was expecting.Launch day was here. I had the website built, marketing material and information displayed, and ready to make it live! I pressed “GO” and ...nothing….A few sales trickled in from friends and family over the next couple of days but not the buzz I was expecting. I thought that at least a few thousand people that heard about it from the YouTube mentions would stop by the site, all of my friends and family would have supported my new project and at the very least I would sell out of half the inventory - I was wrong. I quickly learned that this was going to be harder than I ever imagined and launching a successful business wasn’t this fairy tale dream.Year 1 = $15,000 in revenue.I continued to work on building the brand over the next 12 months or so in my free time but I was also preparing to enter the US Army. In May of 2013, I was commissioned as an Infantry Officer and was shipped to Fort Benning, GA to complete the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, and Airborne School. After spending a year in Georgia I was sent to Fort Hood, TX for my first duty assignment.When I arrived in Texas in early 2014 I decided to start my own social media platforms. Initially, I started by sharing workout and nutrition advice on YouTube but over time I started adding some military topics and behind the scenes of building Bare Performance Nutrition. The intent, in the beginning, was not to drive sales to BPN but I knew I had to create an online community around my personal brand and eventually the company. I quickly realized the power of providing value to the online fitness space, creating that online community I was looking for and eventually the time to sell would come. This wasn’t necessarily a strategic plan but after a few years of very little sales, I was willing to try something new. Getting comfortable talking to a camera, editing the footage and turning it into a story was definitely not one of my strengths (in the beginning) as you can see by one of my first videos here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjOaiSqJBScYear 3 was doing about $20,000 in revenue.After being in business for 4 years and in the Army for 2, my unit was sent to South Korea for a 9-month rotation. At this point, my YouTube channel was sitting at around 30,000 subscribers and we were generating between $2,000 and $3,000 a month in revenue. I decided when I arrived in South Korea that I was going to spend every waking moment, that wasn’t spent doing my Army job, building my business. My duties and responsibilities as an Infantry Platoon Leader always came first, but when I was in my barracks off work - I was building my brand. I listened to podcasts, read books, taught myself videography and photography, social media marketing and even how to code our website.After 9 months in South Korea, I was able to grow my YouTube channel to over 100,000 subscribers, generate over $10,000 a month in revenue and build out a new website for Bare Performance Nutrition. We finally hit the six-figure mark as a business and the following year hit seven-figures.As my social media platforms grew, so did Bare Performance Nutrition’s revenue. With more exposure to my story, the brand and my work ethic, we had people from all across the world showing up to our site, purchasing products and supporting our vision. This is when I finally realized that there had to be a strategic plan that grew the social media platforms and ultimately our business.In the first year of producing YouTube content, I was able to grow my channel to 20,000 subscribers. I had no clue what I was doing but just kept throwing darts at a dartboard hoping one would stick - and one did. In the fall of 2016, I uploaded a YouTube video while stationed in South Korea called, “The Day In The Life Of An Infantry Platoon Leader” and it took off. It grew my channel about 50,000 subscribers in a month and the video reached over 1,000,000 people. I then realized that there was a recipe for creating good YouTube content.For starters, there has to be some type of value that is offered in your videos and content. In my case, it’s educating people in fitness and nutrition to improve their health and help them reach their fitness goals. I also share my life and how hard we’ve worked to build our company over the past 7 years. There are education, motivation, and personality behind the video series. We add comedy, humor, and context to what we are talking about through story-telling and real-life experiences. As the creator, you have to find out what problem it is you are trying to solve in your online community and add your own personal touch behind it.YouTube Video (Day In The Life Of An Infantry Platoon Leader)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CogKnDZziBIYouTube Video (Field Training In Korea)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEer_dMLeMkimageLeft: Me with my platoon Non-Commissioned Officers in South Korea. Right: My brother, Preston, packing orders in our first warehouse in Round Rock, TXSince launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?As a brand, we have always focused on the consumer, the community and driving engagement through education, motivation, and storytelling.We leveraged our social media following to create interactive, relatable and valuable content over the years. After starting a YouTube channel in 2014 I realized the power it had to create a community. Bare Performance Nutrition is not a product - it is a brand. A brand has a voice, a vision, values, and a story.I came to realize while building Bare Performance Nutrition, that one of our competitive advantages was transparency. We took the consumer and audience behind the scenes of everything. We documented the process of moving into new warehouses, products being created at our manufacturing facilities, packing and shipping orders all over the world and handling customer service 24/7.Here are some examples of how we’ve done that:How We Make Our Supplementshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwWodbDx4zEMaking changes to our old warehousehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ch6VSFCSDg&tCurrent Warehouse Tourhttps://www.instagram.com/p/B2zo7ImgCf-/Up until 2017, we had grown Bare Performance Nutrition 100% organically with no paid advertising. We were able to generate 7-figures with zero facebook ads, email marketing or planned campaigns. All of the team's efforts to grow the brand and drive sales were focused on social media. We launched 2 YouTube videos a week, stayed active on Instagram and Snapchat and posted regularly on Facebook.After 2017, I decided to take a more deliberate and proactive approach to scale the brand, and it paid off. We focused efforts on paid Facebook ads (both prospecting and remarketing), started placing emphasis on building our email list and began utilizing social media influencers to share the Bare Performance Nutrition brand with their followers.In 2017, with a planned execution of facebook/Instagram ads, email marketing, and organic social media posting (with paid influencers as well) we were able to generate over $120,000 in 24 hours on a 20% site-wide sale - our biggest up until that point. We spent a total of $10,000 in ad-spend leading up to and on the day of that sale which generated $120,000.To this day - I am a very strong believer in the way we have built our brand and will continue to build the brand. Like I said earlier, we are not a product. You will not find us on a late-night infomercial selling a product for 3 easy payments of $9.99. We are a brand. Our focus is on the consumer and how we can help them. We use social media content (that is generated daily) to educate, motivate and inspire our audience to take action on their lives and push past physical and mental barriers they place on themselves. Our job is to help people reach their goals.After we create content that is valuable, informative and useful we will then place it into a marketing sequence. We run Facebook/Instagram ads split between prospecting and remarketing, send out 2-3 emails to our email list each week and work with an outsourced SEO company to optimize our content and back-end network.There isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t receive an email, DM, phone call or social media comment that says, “I can’t believe how fast you guys shipped out my order!”. That is our goal and our mission. Create the best products on the market, educate and inspire our audience and take care of our customers as quickly and correctly as possible.Our Black Friday Instagram Promotional Videohttps://www.instagram.com/p/BqapD38nPi7/An Instagram promotion we did for our whey protein producthttps://www.instagram.com/p/BvhUTixAsDP/An Instagram video we did to show customers how much we care about fast shippinghttps://www.instagram.com/p/BqFsvE_FNII/How are you doing today and what does the future look like?Our current headquarters is located just north of Austin, TX in a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse. My brother, Preston, moved down to Texas in 2016 to help grow the business while I was still stationed in South Korea and today he leads operations and purchasing for Bare Performance Nutrition. We have two full-time employees packing, shipping and receiving every day.On an average day, we will send out between 200-250 orders. Big sales or new product releases usually result in about 3,500-5,000 orders (over 48 hours).imageimageimageOur revenue is about 80% direct to consumer, 15% amazon and 5% wholesale accounts. We pride ourselves on not being a huge discount brand and only run two sales each year - Black Friday and 4th of July (each being 20% off site-wide). We use the Shopify Plus platform and our current analytics are listed below:Monthly Average Visitors: 110,000Average Order Value: $84.00Customer Return Rate: 60%Conversion Rate: 4.92%Email Subscribers: 73,000YouTube Subscribers: 292,000BPN Instagram Followers: 62.8KNick’s Instagram Followers: 151KBare Performance Nutrition’s focus for the next 12 months is very heavy. We are positioning the brand to scale. As mentioned earlier, we have a full line of performance supplements but are now breaking into the health and wellness category even more. Right now we have a reds superfood supplement, multi-vitamin, joint health product and nutrition bars in production. We are also working on a sleep aid and collagen powder supplement for future release and launch. We recently released phase 1 of our app (available for iPhone and Android) and will be launching phase 2 in the middle of 2020, which will be a customized training platform run by our newest employee joining the team this spring.For the past three years, we have doubled revenue year-over-year. We expect to do the same moving into 2020 with annual revenue to reach over $10 million. Our long term goals are aligned with the company's vision and mission. We have recently hired a full-time videographer/photographer which will allow the team to create more content, for more platforms and reach/educate/inspire even more people. The focus behind the majority of our content right now is to provide the education, resources, and motivation to facilitate changes to improve our customer's lives.While doubling revenue year-over-year seems very bold moving forward into the future - it is always the goal. However, a projection is just a wish without a plan of action. With a whole new line of supplements (health line - called the Strong series) added to Bare Performance Nutrition line-up, we have the opportunity to generate more revenue from our current customers and to also reach a new market. In the next week, we are also launching our first nutrition bar called the Field Bar, which has been a work in progress over the last 12 months. The team has outlined a plan to align content through podcasts, Youtube videos, and collaborations, influencer marketing and my new future book launch, 25 Hours A Day, to drive more traffic and sales to our website.imageOur Book titled, 25 Hours A Day, launching early 2020. 25 Hours A Day is about my story of building Bare Performance Nutrition while serving as an Active Duty Infantry Officer, stationed in South Korea. Lessons I’ve learned in the military, stories from Ranger School and the power to “GO ONE MORE”.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?Over the past 7 years of scaling Bare Performance Nutrition I have learned endless amounts of lessons, made countless mistakes and wasted tons of money, but all for a good purpose. Learning through experience has been the most rewarding and beneficial aspect of being a growing entrepreneur. Looking back to our first year in business I realize I did just about everything wrong. I think my biggest mistake is that I didn’t personally have a vision for the company. Yes, I wanted to obviously grow it as large and as fast as possible, but I somehow missed the valuable lesson of supply and demand. I had the supply. I had a couple of hundred bottles of pre-workout and amino acids but I had zero demand. I was trying to sell to everyone and everything, with no target market, no niche branding, and no voice. Nothing made us stand out.A few years after our initial launch in 2012 I completely rebranded the company. This meant new labels, new logos, a new website and a fresh new look to Bare Performance Nutrition. I attacked this rebranding opportunity to give a voice and vision for the company. Not only for my personal vision, but also for everyone who came across BPN, bought from BPN and worked for BPN. This rebrand, new look, and new target resulted in a 750% increase in revenue in just one year!If you haven’t picked up on it by now I love building Bare Performance Nutrition to help people reach their goals, improve their lives and grow a massive community. As stated before, we are a BRAND and not just a PRODUCT. We pride ourselves in the content we create via YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Podcasts. With that being said, all of the content we have created also amplifies our paid advertising efforts. Whether we are running Facebook and Instagram ads (prospecting/remarketing) or sending out email campaigns, we have endless content online to back it up and support our brand. Social proof is a powerful tool and helps provide the context of where we are heading next! The vision of Bare Performance Nutrition is now clear as day and I can firmly say that it is understood through the consumer, the team and anyone else who comes across our social media platforms. We are here to be the best supplement company ever by educating, motivating and building a family through BPN.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AD_i0uhTo&t=512sWhat platform/tools do you use for your business?There are a million and one third party apps and solutions out there to help run your business, but many of them don’t deliver! We have tested what feels like hundreds of them, but are now set in a schedule with a few that really do drive results.Shopify - As I’ve stated earlier, we do use Shopify Plus. I can’t say enough great things about this platform and everything that it offers. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to create an online eCommerce store.Email Marketing - We started using FAM (Fully Automated Marketing) for our email marketing a few months ago and have seen some pretty great results! We were not harnessing the power of email marketing to our full potential over the past couple of years but FAM has helped us re-engage that audience. We recently ran a 60-day contest on social media that offered a FREE home gym giveaway ($5,000 value). Through the efforts of organic social media and paid advertising ($5,000 ad spend), we grew our email list by 25,000 and Instagram followers by 20,000!Yotpo - We use Yotpo (powerhouse plan) to ask for and receive reviews on our products. This has been a great source of verified social proof and helps increase conversions for not only returning but more importantly new customers! We are now approaching 10,000 verified reviews on our site with the majority of them being 5 out of 5-star ratings.Shogun Page Builder - Shopify’s page templates are fairly generic and hard to customize without some complex coding. We have found a third-party app called Shogun Page Builder to really help transform our product pages resulting in greater conversions!Product Page Example on this link.Final Cut Pro - We produce A LOT of video content each week. Final Cut Pro (for apple) is great and easy to use tool for video editing and producing.Photoshop/Lightroom - In addition to video editing, we produce about 10x as many photos and graphics as we do videos for social media. Photoshop and Lightroom (adobe products) are great tools to create banners, graphics, ads and to clean up photos in post-production.imageWhat have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?Google is a powerful tool. Every question you have, every example you need and every problem you are experiencing has answers online. It’s how I learned everything. I vividly remember sitting in my barracks room while stationed in South Korea spending 4-5 hours a night learning how to build a business. The result was transforming a $15,000 brand into multiple 6-figure brands in less than 9 months. It’s 2019 - there is no excuse for not being smart enough, for not having the resources and for not having the knowledge.Much of my influence has been driven by life experiences and putting myself out there - something I recommend to everyone. With that being said, I’ll leave part of my upcoming book below as context:Conventional wisdom tells you to live as if you have fewer hours in a day. They say to cram everything in as if you only had 23 hours in which to get it done. This never made sense to me. It gave you less actual time and often results in rushing to failure.I’ll never forget the moment I learned to stop rushing toward failure. I was a student in the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, working with some Captains from the hard-core 75th Ranger Regiment.I asked one of them for advice on how to be the best leader possible when I arrived at my platoon at Fort Hood, Texas. He pointed to another Captain across the room.“You see that guy right there? When the shit hits the fan, when chaos strikes, that guy stays as cool as the other side of the pillow. He doesn’t rush to failure but takes the time to assess the situation, develop a plan quickly, and executes it on demand. That is the guy you want to be.”I realized that the goal isn’t to rush but to slow things down as much as possible, even time itself. We all have 24 hours in a day, but it’s how you choose to live those 24 hours that makes the difference. When I started my business, I sacrificed sleep in order to find extra time. The bottom line, I was in control of the day. I controlled my time, and in the end, I controlled what it was I was about to create.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?I’ll give 2 pieces of advice to entrepreneurs who want to get started and believe it is their passion because your business must be that - 100% passion. Your business is a living, breathing model of yourself as the owner.First - you MUST go all in. There is no dabbling as an entrepreneur in the beginning. You may find exceptions to the rule or experienced entrepreneurs who have systems in place to delegate brand building, but in the beginning, you MUST go all in. It wasn’t until I dedicated every waking moment to building Bare Performance Nutrition, spending every ounce of energy and focus after working a full-time job, that I saw results and growth. Going all-in also doesn’t come with a timeline. You may see results in 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years but if you have a vision and a solid brand/product then it is working through the wins and learning from the losses that direct you to where you want and need to be.Second - many don’t take action due to paralysis by analysis. This was something I never feared or had a problem with. It is probably why I started Bare Performance Nutrition from the start, took out a loan as a broke college student, had zero experience or knowledge on how to build a brand or held any skills required to make it work. I ran off pure passion from the beginning but was never stopped by over-analyzing every step along the way. It is something I see and hear from new entrepreneurs every day. They question every move they think about making, they wait for the perfect time and in the end, they never end up moving forward at all. Why? Their ability to over-analyze everything keeps them in the same place - stagnant. Don’t be this person. Mitigate risk, weigh your options and make educated decisions but don’t be paralyzed by analysis.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?At the moment we are looking to bring someone in house to take over all paid advertising. A highly motivated individual who wants to be part of a fast-paced team and has the skills required to run Facebook/Instagram ads, google ads and optimize our content through SEO.I personally do not like hiring remote employees. We have done a great job at building an amazing culture at Bare Performance Nutrition and much of that comes down to the entire team seeing and believing in the vision. Being a team player and bringing positive energy to work is a requirement to be part of the Bare Performance Nutrition staff.Where can we go to learn more?WebsiteFacebookInstragramFounder’s InstagramPodcastFounder’s YoutubeIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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supplementking · 6 years

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Health Tips

Health Tips :- In a 2012 overview from the American Optometric Association, the greater part of the respondents detailed that they esteemed their visual perception more than their memory or capacity to walk. Nonetheless, you might settle on little choices consistently that could be trading off your most key sense. "Continually associating with screens, passing up fundamental supplements, overlooking your shades—these blameless sounding propensities can stealthily incur significant damage on solid eyes," says optometrist Hilary L. Hawthorne, a trustee of the American Optometric Association. Additionally, we frequently skip yearly eye exams, which puts our eyes as well as our general wellbeing in danger. Luckily, it's generally simple to turn things around. A large number of these master suggested tips should be possible in the flicker of a, guess what.

Avoid Screens At all costs

Screens have multiplied a long ways past workstations and work areas. Presently there are cell phones, tablets, tablets, and MP3 players—also the screens that we experience at airplane terminals, tram and prepare stations, film theaters, and donning occasions. The differentiation and the glare of an electronic screen can in the end prompt eye fatigue and, now and again, PC vision disorder, which occurs after delayed utilize. Side effects can incorporate migraines, obscured vision, neck torment, dry or red eyes, exhaustion, twofold vision, and trouble refocusing.

It's really moderately aged individuals who invest the most energy before screens—a normal of 9.5 hours per day, as per an investigation by the Council for Research Excellence. "Not exclusively are we seeing screens for longer periods without breaks, however we're working with handheld gadgets at closer separations than we would with printed materials," says optometrist Mark Rosenfield, Ph.D., a teacher of clinical instruction at the State University of New York College of Optometry, in Manhattan. (Also, as you age, the closer you are to a protest when you read it, the more work your eyes need to do to look after core interest.)

Specialists prescribe that you keep your eyes no less than an a safe distance from a PC screen and 16 crawls from a handheld gadget. Be that as it may, as indicated by a 2011 paper distributed in the diary Optometry and Vision Science, individuals by and large hold cell phones around 14 inches away when perusing and once in a while as close as seven inches.

On the off chance that you can't without much of a stretch read the content on your handheld's screen from no less than 16 inches away, increment the text dimension. To limit eye fatigue with any gadget, ensure that you're perusing in delicate lighting that doesn't cause glare. For a PC, consider putting resources into an antiglare channel that clasps to the screen, (for example, 3M's, $69, amazon.com).

Take Blinking Breaks

In regular day to day existence, we flicker around 15 to 20 times each moment. In any case, that rate drops significantly when we're seeing content on a screen. "Flickering is essential on the grounds that the upper eyelid spreads tears over the front of the eye, or cornea, much the same as a windshield wiper works," says Rosenfield. "In the event that you don't do it enough, the cornea can dry out and feel aggravated." He suggests utilizing the 20/20/20 control while gazing at a screen: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds so you can flicker normally and give your eyes time to unwind. On the off chance that you experience the ill effects of incessantly dry eyes, have a go at utilizing a workstation rather than a PC. When you're looking down at a workstation, less eye surface is uncovered and there's less tear vanishing and your eyes remain more damp. On the off chance that you need to utilize a work area, raise your seat or tilt your screen four crawls underneath eye level, as estimated from the focal point of the screen, so you aren't looking straight ahead. Discover more dry eye medications.

Wear Shades

After some time, introduction to bright (UV) beams can break down vision, prompting waterfalls (a blurring of the eyes' focal points); age-related macular degeneration, or AMD (loss of sight in the focal point of the field of vision); and noncancerous and harmful developments on the eyes' surface, eyelids, and encompassing skin, as per optometrist Rachel Cohn, the proprietor of the Wink Eyecare Boutique, in Potomac, Maryland.

The American Optometric Association suggests shades that square no less than 99 percent of UVA and UVB radiation and that screen out 75 to 90 percent of unmistakable light. Search for an "ANSI" sticker on the shades, which demonstrates that they meet these rules as demonstrated by the American National Standards Institute. Furthermore, in the event that you intend to invest a ton of energy outside, it's a smart thought to get shades with focal points that are captivated, which implies that they've been dealt with to diminish glare.

In spite of the fact that another age of contact focal points can help divert a portion of the sun's destructive beams, (for example, Acuvue TrueEye, which is prominent among dry-eye sufferers), they don't cover the eyelids, "so despite everything you'll need to finish off with a couple of shades," says Cohn. Locate the ideal shades for your face shape.

Attempt a Seafood Diet

You presumably realize that omega-3 unsaturated fats can support heart and mind wellbeing, however they can likewise diminish your danger of eye infection. As per an examination distributed in the 2011 Archives of Ophthalmology, ladies who ate canned fish and dull fish meat (mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, swordfish) just once seven days had a 42 percent bring down hazard for AMD than the individuals who ate such fish not exactly once every month. "Fish oils and fish-oil supplements are stacked with cancer prevention agents that assistance keep the harm from free radicals that can cause infections like AMD," says Tanya Zuckerbrot, an enlisted dietitian in New York City. Another motivation to go angle: Increasing your admission of omega-3s may likewise bolster more beneficial tear film. (Eat no less than five to six four-ounce servings of greasy fish week after week.)

Go for the Greens

Carrots have a notoriety for being the go-to vegetable for solid visual perception, and the facts demonstrate that "getting bamboozled on vitamin An, a key supplement in carrots, could add to the disintegration of your vision," says Zuckerbrot. Be that as it may, the genuine star supplements are lutein and zeaxanthin—colors found in such nourishments as dull, verdant greens, broccoli, zucchini, peas, and Brussels grows. Analysts from the University of Georgia in Athens found that verdant green vegetables may enhance vision by decreasing the unpleasant impacts of glare and presentation to splendid light, since they help assimilate a portion of that light. Discover more data on how a solid eating regimen can secure your vision.

Additional proof for the intensity of deliver: A British report distributed in the 2011 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition uncovered that veggie lovers had a 30 percent bring down danger of creating waterfalls than individuals who ate 3.5 ounces of meat daily.

Begin Steeping

You might need to swap that some espresso for green tea: Not just is it hydrating (which causes you create tears) yet the blend likewise contains catechins, which are among a large group of cancer prevention agents (like vitamins C and E, lutein, and zeaxanthin) that may guard the eyes' tissues from AMD and waterfalls. Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong has demonstrated that catechins are caught up in the most elevated focuses by the tissues in the retina, the piece of the eye that identifies light.

Treat Contacts With Care

Around 85 percent of the individuals who wear contacts guarantee that they're watching over their focal points appropriately, however just 2 percent truly are, discovered one examination led by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas. "A standout amongst the most destructive however regular infractions is dampening contacts with salivation rather than saline arrangement," says Eliot Grossman, the head of eye wellbeing and optometry for LensCrafters, in Orange County, California. "Several microscopic organisms from your mouth will be acquainted straightforwardly with your eye, which could cause a genuine disease." The same is valid for water or some other "nontraditional" substance. (In one examination, individuals fessed up to saturating contacts including lager to spread to infant oil.) And dependably store focal points in new arrangement.

Grossman likewise suggests evacuating focal points even before rests and offering your eyes a reprieve by wearing glasses once per week. Also, to keep your contacts and their case microscopic organisms free, wash your hands previously dealing with them and supplant contacts as often as possible as endorsed.

Make Over Your Makeup Routine

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aggieland-supplements · 2 years

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Supplement Store near me Bryan Texas.

If you're in the Bryan or College Station area and searching for an excellent supplement store, you've found it! This store furnishes a wide variety of pre-workout protein powder, creatine, fat burning powder, vitamins, supplements, and even smoothies. Stop by now to select the perfect supplement for you!

Address: 2418 Texas Ave S STE A, College Station, TX 77840

source https://aggielandsupplements.com/blogs/news/supplement-store-near-me-bryan-texas source https://aggieland-supplements.blogspot.com/2023/02/supplement-store-near-me-bryan-texas.html

#Supplement Store College Station #Protein Powder College Station #Probiotics College Station #Smooth

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 7 years

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How to Stay Healthy and Hydrated Year-Round with OMI Bottle

New blog post!

This post is generously sponsored by OMI Bottle.

As the temperatures drop, your motivation to stay healthy and hydrated may fall just as much. After all, Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas cookies are right around the corner - and who wants to sip on ice water or go for a run when the weather already has your teeth chattering?

Today, though, I’m partnering with OMI Bottle to share my top tips and tricks for staying healthy and hydrated all year long! As usual, I want to say that I’m neither a doctor nor a health expert. However, I’ve had plenty of experience with staying healthy and hydrated year-round as a chronically ill college student.

So keep reading to learn my top four secrets on how to stay healthy and hydrated in college, out of college, and year-round - plus, learn how OMI Bottle can help you live a healthier lifestyle in 2017 and beyond!

1. Move that bod!

This is perhaps the most obvious health “secret” out there: you + movement = one happier and healthier body. In fact, research has found that exercise can improve people's self esteem, sleep patterns, range of motion and metabolism, and it can decrease the risk of cancers and heart disease. Talk about a major two-for-one deal!

In my experience, moving your body is even more important when you have a chronic illness like fibromyalgia. After hours of sitting in class or working on my computer, nine out of ten times, my neck and joints are not happy campers. Doing a workout - whether it’s a hard cardio session on the gym stair stepper or a relaxing yoga practice in my apartment - helps loosen me up and get everything to relax.

As a bonus, exercise also reduces the body's stress hormones and increases endorphins, or the "happy" hormone. For me, stress is one of the biggest triggers for fibromyalgia flares and stomach problems (related to my celiac disease). So the more regularly I make time for exercise, the less stressed I am, the better I feel, and the more exercise I want to do. Hello healthy living cycle!

2. Keep a water bottle close at hand.

One aspect of health that a lot of people overlook, though, is staying hydrated. In fact, as of 2013, 75 percent of Americans can be classifed as chronically dehydrated. If you’re following tip number one and enjoying a sweaty workout sesh on the regular, getting enough liquids is even more important.

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "#ad Learn this #glutenfree #college #celiac's top secrets for staying #healthy and #hydrated all year long, with some help from @omibottle! http://bit.ly/2A3bAon"

The easiest hydration trick I’ve found is making a reusable water bottle your favorite accessory. Even during the fall and winter, I take my reusable water bottle with me everywhere and make sure to take advantage of the filtered water stations around my college campus.

As I’ve shared in previous posts, hydration may be especially vital if you have fibromyalgia and/or celiac disease like me. Some of the medications I take for my chronic illnesses give me dry mouth, which calls for lots of water. Plus, drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day keeps my finicky digestion groovin’ along, if ya know what I mean.

If you don’t already have a reusable water bottle or are looking for an even better option than the ones sitting in your cupboard, keep scrolling to learn about the new water bottle I’m majorly crushing on!

3. Find medications and/or supplements that work for you - and remember to take them.

Some people can get all the nutrients they need from food and don’t need to take any supplements or pills on a regular basis. (As crazy as that may sound to spoonies like me.) For others, though, supplements can be key to staying healthy in college or other hectic times in life, like the holiday season. Discuss possible supplement needs with your doctor, and if you have chronic illnesses, I definitely suggest asking for blood work to test your vitamin levels.

Personally, my doctor recently discovered that I was iron deficient. I started taking iron supplements six months ago, and I’ve definitely noticed a big improvement in my energy levels. Earlier this year, I also shared my experience with a joint health supplement. Supplements and medications can't totally "fix" my chronic illnesses, but finding the right ones has made a (sometimes amazing) difference...and the same could be said for you.

Even once you find the supplements and medicines that work for you, though, remembering to take them can often be a challenge. As someone who is medically required to take several pills twice a day, I also can relate 1000% to the awkwardness of having to tote your pillbox or plastic bags with pills to various social events.

This is where OMI Bottle comes in!

4. Discover products that help you live a healthier lifestyle...like OMI Bottle!

The OMI Bottle is an inventive new 24-ounce water bottle that just launched its Kickstarter campaign earlier this week. What makes me so excited about OMI Bottle compared to all the other water bottles on the market? It has a built-in pill dispenser!

OMI Bottle’s seven-day pill organizer slides right into the water bottle itself, so, as long as you have your water bottle nearby, you have your pills nearby too. Having daily compartments in the organizer also means you can easily separate your pills by times you need to take them or even store a whole week's worth of medications or supplements inside your water bottle. No more frantically searching through your purse for the right pills (been there, still sometimes do that...)

OMI Bottle is also great for anyone who wants a practical reusable water bottle that looks a lil’ more stylish than the average bottle. OMI Bottle is small enough to fit in your purse or backpack, and it’s made of BPA-free Tritan plastic that can be bought in various colors, like Stone Silver, Pearl White and Rose Gold.

Like with any healthy living product, I don’t think that buying an OMI Bottle will automatically make you ten times healthier. However, if you want to be better about staying hydrated and are hoping to adopt a healthier lifestyle, OMI Bottle is a great place to start. And if you’re a fellow member of the chronic illness community who needs to take pills multiple times a day? Well, it sounds like OMI Bottle will make it easier than ever for people transport and remember to take their pills.

To learn more about OMI Bottle, check out their Kickstarer campaign here or their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

The truth is, fall and winter can be a hard season to stay hydrated and adhere to healthy habits. Not only can the weather make "Netflix and chill" sound more appealing than "gym and chilled water," but it can also be easy to let the holiday rush push self-care to the bottom of your to-do list. However, whether you're trying to learn how to stay healthy in college or just how to stay hydrated every month of the year, don't forget to take care of yourself during these next few months. Who knows? With some help from the tips I’ve shared above and healthy living products like OMI Bottle, you might be able to make this winter your healthiest and most hydrated season yet!

*I received monetary compensation in exchange for spreading the word about OMI Bottle. However, I only partner with brands and products that I personally belive in, and all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting what supports Casey the College Celiac!*

Have you heard of OMI Bottle before? How do you stay hydrated and healthy all year long? Tell me in the comments!

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newstfionline · 7 years

Text

The Lost Art of Simplicity

Patrick Lencioni, LinkedIn Pulse, November 2, 2017

This is going to be difficult to write because making a case for the power of simplicity is no easy task. And yet, more than ever, I’m convinced that simplicity is the scarcest commodity among leaders, and probably the most important. Here are some good quotes that attest to this on a theoretical level.

Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” Albert Einstein believed that “most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in language comprehensible to everyone.”

And yet, in my consulting to organizations of all kinds, from high tech companies to churches to banks, I find that there is a natural tendency among managing leaders to add unnecessary complexity to situations, problems, descriptions and solutions. As a result, plans do not come to fruition, employees get confused, customers become disappointed and leaders are left discouraged.

So why do leaders do this? Why would they complicate their worlds and create problems for themselves and their organizations?

First, I have to believe that they don’t know that they’re doing it. Based on my experience, executives generally don’t like to make their own lives more difficult. But since that is exactly what they’re doing, there must be a powerful underlying cause. I’m guessing it has to do with pride, and usually the intellectual kind.

Think about it this way. When someone acquires a great deal of knowledge through education, either formally at a university or by reading voraciously about a given subject, it is natural that they’ll want to employ that knowledge. In fact, they’ll probably want to use it even if it’s not required, or for that matter, helpful. Otherwise, they’ll have to admit that all the time, effort and money they put into learning may have been something of a waste.

An example from outside the world of business might be helpful here. Consider a dietician who studies nutrition and exercise physiology for a number of years in school. People hire her to help them lose weight and get fit. Few people in her situation will be satisfied simply telling her clients to eat smaller portions, exercise every day, and avoid one or two particularly harmful foods. While that would be a more understandable, reliable and actionable solution than a complex combination of vitamins, supplements, pilates classes and underwater yoga, the latter seems to be a more common prescription if the magazine covers I see at the grocery store are any indication.

This same thing happens among executives who overcomplicate their work in the areas of management, strategy or marketing. For instance, many CEOs who are faced with a difficult executive on their team will spend great amounts of time, energy and money procuring an executive coach or doing an exhaustive 360-degree feedback program when what they might need to do is just sit down and kindly tell the guy that he’s been acting a little bit like a jackass lately and needs to stop. I’m guessing that a successful gas station manager or restaurant owner would do that, but then again, they’re probably not encumbered by excessive knowledge or an overly sophisticated education.

It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that so many successful entrepreneurs dropped out of college or came from relatively modest educational backgrounds, and for that matter, that relatively few of them have PhDs. A person with a humble background is going to have an easier time being, well, humble, and embracing an idea or approach that isn’t terribly impressive, but simply works.

And shouldn’t the real measure of an idea, system or approach to a problem be whether it actually works or not? For many executives who are enamored with sophistication, that isn’t enough. Often, they seem disappointed by simple but effective solutions to seemingly complex problems. I think one reason for that disappointment is that simple solutions usually require discipline and hard work over time, while the sophisticated ones seem like shiny silver bullets, capable of making a problem go away in one innovative shot. And it can be disconcerting, after years of studying and reading and learning, to come to the realization that success comes down to common sense and discipline.

I certainly understand why many of us are so attracted to innovation and sophistication. After all, that is where most of our media and academic community focus their attention. Simple, workable solutions to problems don’t generally provoke magazine cover stories, journal articles in business schools, or features on the nightly news. But they do make for successful companies, informed employees and loyal customers. I guess that will have to be enough for now.

#Patrick Lencioni #simplicity #power of implicity

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skycommasatdusk · 7 years

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8-10-17

I gave myself permission to stay in bed today. When morning came and the phone started ringing and the texts started pinging, I pulled the comforter up to meet the pillows and remained there for a very long time. Then I had to pee.

And, there was the bathroom scale. What the hell. A shriek escaped my throat and I shuffled on.

8 a.m. and I’m filling my vitamin supplement days-of-the-week tray and coffee is dripping over chocolate milk and sugar. I’m not going to do this day. But, as long as I’m up, I’m going to have my coffee. And, I’m going to have whipped cream on top of it.

The whipped cream dispenser went ‘hiss’ instead of ‘splort’, but it hadn’t beaten me. I’d bought a 3-pack at Costco. Hah! Take that Another-Day-That-Wants-To-Knock-Me-Down. I’m still here, though not fit for social consumption.

The coffee is delicious, and I am emboldened to check email. See if there’s anything uplifting on Bored Panda. There is. Another whale rescued by a scuba diver from miles of line attached to an anchor. Once set free, whale comes at rescuer like a speeding bus, but doesn’t knock him down. Just asks to be petted, like the family dog. Good. Good. There is still good.

Scan through emails with trepidation and dare to review information on meeting right here in my neighborhood that I’d planned to sponsor and network for much needed new business. It’s been moved. Of course. 45 minutes away. In a different county. Groan.

This day is not going to knock me down.

It’s not. I will keep my head down. I will avoid the many piles of things that need doing. Paper piles here for work. Paper piles there, time sensitive for other work. Files on my desktop, time-sensitive, waving hysterically to get my attention. Text from landlord to correct a slight breach of parking garage rules. It’s okay, I’d been expecting that.

I recall a dream from last night. Mother had purchased a second home nearby, and had not used me as her realtor. I was pathetically okay with that, I figured she’d gotten a better deal by writing with the listing agent. But, she hadn’t even consulted with me, and then I came to learn that she didn’t even get an inspection of the property before closing the deal. Was it closed? Was it too late? The property was clinging just above a canyon, and on the other side was a homeowner who overwaters his gardens. How could she not listen to my urging that she needs to get an inspection done before she closed escrow? And, why were there two washers, and three dryers in this house? Spread out from kitchen to sitting room? And, why was there a neighborhood party going on? And a parking lot, and my son was attending to the parking kiosk? Why couldn’t I maneuver the grassy yard to get back to my car? Why was there an open-air crawl-through bridge to get to the other side?

But, it’s morning. On this day during which I’m backing away from the mania. What to do?

A hike in this uncharacteristically steamy hot southern California day? Sounds gross. Food? Not hungry. Make my bed and straighten up? Well, duh. I don’t want to die of a sudden heart attack and be found here with my home a mess. Best to put on clean underwear too.

Blinds open? Blinds closed? Music on? No. It only drags me to whatever mindset any particular song touches inside me. News, God no. Enough of that. Quiet. I can hear the plane flying across the sky taking people to vacations they eagerly anticipate, or dragging them on a heinous, nerve-wracking business trip in coach with their knees up to their shoulders trying to get comfortable, eschewing the flight attendant’s offer of coffee because they read that article about the water used for making coffee and tea on planes, and, of course, they would risk walking away with a large coffee stain on their white pants when they reach their destination.

Sounds. Cars. No horns yet today. No sirens yet.

Typing this. Chastising myself because I’m still learning to not put two spaces between the period and the next capitalized word since Lynda, the editor, taught me it should only be one space.

9:30 a.m. Where does the time go?

I’m still above ground. Not even lying flat on the faux wood laminate floor, my cheek pressed to the coolness. Not there. Sitting, on a stool. Resting my arms straight in front of me across the desktop to ease the aching of my arthritic arm and shoulder. Quick text to ask if my granddaughter was wrestled into day two of the school year. No response. Many possibilities.

Europe is calling. I signed on for it, and there’s no turning back. Heaven knows I need the break, to get away, to experience new. But, finances are worrisome. An understatement. And, the task of making the plans so that, once there, I can relax, feel so very difficult. Train schedules and hotels and currencies and tipping rules. Packing; 16 days + 1 tiny, manageable suitcase. Another immense chore. But, the clock is ticking down to departure date.

Tick tock.

Calendar pages turning.

But not in that annoying way shown on the Rachel Maddow Show or in the Target online ads. That annoying computer-generated swishing sound.

Traveling alone. Good? Bad? Will I make friends? Do I have room for new acquaintances in my head? Safe?

Lovely twittering sounds from the lone dove that nests in the palm tree outside my door. Where is his mate for whom he’s built a nest of palm strands and lint and bits of paper? Perhaps she is nearby and he’s alone only because he’s bravely standing sentry. Bold enough to stand his ground as I pass by within 30 inches of his beady glare.

Shoes on, sunscreen sprayed, hat chosen and adjusted. Keys secured in pouch carrying overpriced Epipen, tissues and loose change. Sunglasses ensuring a superficial wall between me and whatever, whoever, I may encounter. 10:04 a.m., facing the day outside of my cocoon because sitting still never sits well with me. Earphones on, attached to phone, but no station or podcast selected. The plugged-in visual is just a deterrent.

A body in motion tends to stay in motion.

‘Beep beep’, goes the UPS man at my neighbor’s door. ‘Growl’ goes the garbage truck. ‘Whiz’ goes another airplane.

59 years old. 59 years old.

Retirement age is 62? 64? How much longer? When can I slip off these tap dancing shoes? Papers somewhere detail the financials if I retire in one year versus another. Another. Another decision to be made.

Heel, toe, heel, toe, (lather, rinse, repeat?), heel, toe…

Car races me to the curb end of the crosswalk. Car wins, expresses with arms and eyebrows that she's sorry she cut me off.

But she's not. She did it will full knowledge that I was striding there. In the crosswalk.

Audi Honda BMW Toyota Chevrolet Prius GS Se E 320 Is Crv Mc250 Accord Accord

Paris accord.

No, no, it’s Paris Agreement. Paris Climate Agreement. Paris Climate Accord. Whatever. Still holding, thanks to other fully conscious countries.

Snatch of a song in my head:

…they alive dammit, ' females are strong as hell…

Leaf blower.

Power tool humming. What's that tool called? It used to be so easy to access words. Names.

White female, 30s, stands on sidewalk with two police officers. Another patrol car pulls up and dispenses two more police officers, one male, one female. First police officers depart.

Carpenter: rap, rap, rap, rapping. Sun beating down on him leaning into building from the ladder.

Dog barks and barks.

I miss the sound of my dog’s bark. 10.4 years of love and seizures. I loved that dog.

Tall floor to ceiling windows look into doggie daycare. Dogs running and playing with each other. Dogs angling for human attention. One tiny fluffy white dog stands away from the others, very still, legs nearly trembling, eyes searching the distance. For what?

Tears in my eyes.

81 degrees.

Powerball 356 million. MegaMillion 393 million. No winners.

I'm not a winner.

59.

59 years.

59 years, segmented into how many parts?

Part 1: Infancy, who loves me? Who do I belong to? Mother? Papa? Grandma and grandpa?

Part 2: Childhood. Mother hates me, I'm a burden to her. Sisters play with me, but I'm too bossy, trying to be special. Papa loves me, but I’d better not anger my mother. Grandma and Grandpa love me, can we go see them today?

Part 3: School years. Friends. Frenemies. Seated in my little chair staring out the fire escape door at the house and fenced in yard 3 stories below, wondering about my future. Losing my new crystal blue glasses on the day after I got them. Summer, waiting beside the highway with my sisters for the bus to take us to swim lessons at the municipal pool. A little money in my pocket for a treat at the shop across the street before the bus takes us home. Knowing I’ll later spend that money on cotton candy as I get off the bus. Spending the money on ice cream after I get out of the pool and wait in line under the Midwestern sun.

Part 4: California. Jr. High and High School. Mother keeps reminding us that we are so cool because we now live in California instead of dusty old Iowa.

Part 5: College. Yay. I’m me. Just me. No old family stories weighing me down. Education. Singing on stages. Boyfriend. First. Writing, writing, writing. 4 more years to be safe while I grow up. Wondering when it is that someone is grown up.

Part 6: First jobs. Insecurity. Successes. Failures. Finding my legs. If not my wings.

Part 7: Marriage. Writing, writing, writing.

Part 8: Children. Love, love, love for my children. PTA, carpool lines, producing special events and haunted houses and children’s game shows to benefit the schools. Accolades. Fears of public speaking falling away. Writing, writing, writing.

Parts 9, 10, 11, 12: Separation, sex, divorce, love, heartbreak. Writing

Part 13: Realtor®. Hustle, research, learn, work, work, work. No rest. Too weary to work, too anxious to sleep. Wine.

Heel, toe, heel, toe.

Music from the open door of the furniture store: 'you are so wonderful, to me.’ Changed from ‘you are so beautiful’?

Why? What was the thinking?

PC? Feminism? Are you necessarily objectifying someone if you love their looks? And, if that’s so, does that mean you don’t really love them at all?

Lightbulb: Write a book.

Second Bulb: Finish a book. Proud of book.

More bulb flashes: Shout out on Craigslist with my offer to pay anyone with access to a publisher to put my finished manuscript on a publisher’s desk? Book flight to New York, walk manuscript in to publisher’s offices and beg successive people until the doors are all flung open for me and someone has promised to read.

Optimism.

Brief.

Slow down.

Just today.

Today, I will not strive and grasp and claw and re-think and redouble my efforts until I collapse with aching body, weary mind, red eyes.

Today. I will just be.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Welcome! Can you sign in please? This home offers 3 bedrooms 2 baths in 2,023 square feet, beautifully updated. Built in 1939. The kitchen features industrial grade appliances and marble countertops. Master suite is quite large with original hardwood floors leading off to the latticework tile bathroom floor which holds a claw foot tub offering the bather a view of the canyon, separate rainfall shower. The exterior maintains the original Spanish style well-suited to this quaint Beachwood Canyon neighborhood. The schools are highly rated…

No, no one died in the house.

Yet.

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